Ice rink



Dec. 3, 1946. F. J. ZAMBONI 2,411,919

ICE RINK `S l BY o v E l Dec. 3, 1946. y

F. J. ZAMBONI 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 f., y. @J mM a wa.. n 1 4 .m I x M OM|`OEw klv, m um 1| n WM J Nw Nm T \mm m L 1 m .Q \b u .f un. w wm w11 mw.

Dec. 3, 1946.

ij .L ZAMBoNl ICE RINK 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 16, 1944 NNI N NQNMSN NSN ,4free/vin together by spot or seam welding.

Patented Dec. 3, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE RINK Frank J.Zamboni, Hynes, Calif.

Application September 16, 1944, Serial No. 554,481

14 Claims.

This invention relates generally to ice yskating rinks, particularly tothe type involving a hollow oor adapted to support a thin sheet of iceand through which brine is circulated, and relates further to systemsfor circulating cooled brine t and from such a floor, and for regulatingthe temperature of the brine so circulated.

In a rink of the class mentioned, the brine is fed by a force pump toand through a fabricated sheet-metal hollow rink floor, bracedinternally by I-beam or equivalent spreaders, and secured The brinewithin the floor is hence at a pressure above 'atmospheric pressure, andin consequence of this internal pressure there is a constant tendencyfor the hollow floorto expand. yThis construction tends to Lsuffer moreor less constantly from failure of the spot vwelds or weld seams, andconsequent leakage of the brine. The trouble is heightened by the yfactthat a very great number ofsuch spot welds lare required to tie thestructure together securely because of the abovementioned internalpressure exerted by the pressure circulated brine. Y

A major object of the invention is accordingly to provide a skating rinkand brine circulation system of the general class mentioned which doesnot suffer from either leakage or tendency for the hollow oor to bespread apart by internal brine pressure.

In accordance with the invention, considered Y in one of itsmajoraspects, the hollow iioor of the skating rink is equipped with a brinecirculation system which creates within it a subatmospheric pressure,the result of which is to eliminate external leakage from the oor in theevent of failure of any spot weld, or fracture of any kind, and afurther result of which is to tie the plates and faces of the oortogether by the external and internal pressure dilerential.

A further purpose and laccomplishment of the invention is the provisionof a brine circulation and cooling system characterized by the mainte`nance of a relatively small volume of brine cooled to a substantiallylower temperature than that necessary for the purpose of circulationthrough the rink oor, and which is intermittently drawn upon, undereither manual or automatic control, to maintain the liquid circulatedthrough the rink oor at the desired temperature.

A still further purpose and accomplishment of the invention is theprovisionof an improved hollow rink floor construction kcapable ofovercoming the expansion and contraction diiiiculties 2 encountered inrink iioor structures of the class mentioned.

The invention will be best understood by reierring without furtherpreliminary discussion to the following. detailed description `ofcertain .present .preferred illustrative embodiments thereof, referencefor this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.'1 'is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of a skating rink landbrine cooling and circulation system in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the system shown in Fig. 1,;

Fig. 3 is a section 'taken as indicated by yline 3--3 on Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing an alternative method`oi? operation;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. Gis a vertical section on line I-Ii of Fig. 5,;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 'I-'I of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section in accordance with line `8--8 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is Va perspective detail showing the connection of a typical noorsection to aheader;

Fig. 10 is a section similar to Fig. 8 but Showing a modification;

Fig. '11 is a section similar to Fig. `8 but showing anothermodiiication;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing another modification;and

Fig. 13 is a section on line I3-I3' of Fig. 11.

'I proceed now to a detailed description of one typical illustrativesystem capable of carrying the invent-ion into effect, and from which afull understanding of the practice of the invention will be obtained. Itwill, of course, be understood that this is for illustrative purposesonly,

and that various changes and modiiications in the particu-lar systemherein explained in certain detail are possible without departure fromthe spirit and scope ofthe invention.

In the drawings, numeral I0 designates genera-lly the hollow skatingrink iloor, which in the instance of Figs. 1, 2, 8 and 9 is Vcomprisedof a plurality of transverse floor sections II positioned edge to edgeand each embodying a sheet iron base plate I2 having upturnedlongitudinal edge portions I3, a sheet iron platform I4 abutting andwelded to edge portions I3, and spreaders I5 positioned on base plate I2parallel to edge portion-s I3 and supporting the platform I4, in themanner clearly indicated in Fig. 9. The spreaders I5 may be of anysuitable section, though they are of angle section as shown in Fig. 9.'The plate or platform I4 is welded to edges I3 and maybe spot welded ina few places to spreaders I5, which are in turn spot Welded to base I2.Aswill hereinafter appear, an advantage of the present system is that nogreat amount of such spot welding is required. It is suicient in fact ifthe spreaders are only tacked in place by a very ew spot welds, and iti-s not even necessary that the platform I4 be spot welded to thespreaders, as it may merely rest thereon. This follows from the factthat the present system avoids the creation of internal pressure withinthe floor.

Inlet and outlet heads I6 and I1 extend length- Wise of the iioor belowthe end portions of the l` may converge somewhat, as seen in plan, inorder to provide a desirable clearance space therebetween, but thethickness is preferably commensurately expanded in order to avoid a nowconstriction (see Fig. 9). The headers I6 and I1 may converge indiameter from one end of the loor'toward the other, as indicated in Fig.1 for an obvious purpose.

The sectionalized fabricated sheet metal floor construction as thusdescribedhas several advantages, among ywhich may be mentioned the factthat expansion and contraction of the floor is not cumulative over thelength of the licor. Each section is laid in close proximity to thesections adjacent to it, but in a somewhat loose or free arrangement,whereby each section may expand orcontract without any substantialeffect upon those adjacent to it. The construction has the iurtheradvantage of simplicity and relatively low initial cost. By reason ofthe novel brine circulation system to be described presently, thepressure within the floor does not exceed atmospheric pressure, so that,as previously mentioned, there is no occasion for the use of a largenumber of spot welds to tie the floor structure together againstbursting strains, as would otherwise be found necessary in this class ofconstruction.

It will, of course, be understood that cooled brine will be circulatedfrom inlet header I6 upwardly into the floor sections II, across thefloor'through said sections, and thence downwardlyand outwardly viaoutlet header I1. The

brinehaving been reduced to an appropriate temperature, e. g. 29 F., orwithin the approximate range of to 25 F., depending upon use andatmospheric temperature, water sprayed on the surface of the floor willfreeze and form the layerl of ice I (Fig. 2). s

' The brine cooling and circulation system, shown more particularly inFigs. 3 to '1, inclusive, includes a compartmented cooling tank 2Dpositioned rather low with respect to the rink iloor II).` Therequirement is that the liquid level L in the tank be at no timesubstantially higher than the liquid level within the hollow oor (seeFig. 2). The tank 25, shown more or les-s diagrammatically, may have asectionalized top 2| in addition to sides 22, ends 23 and 24 and abottom 25. In the construction here indicated, some of the top sectionsmay serve to support agitator motors, and may hence be welded to thetank structure. The remaining ones, however, may be loose and removablefor access to the tank. Such loose arrangement of the top sections 2Ipermits atmospheric pressure to prevail in the tank 20. `flfhe outletheader I1 leading from floor IEI is connected by line 30 to a pair ofpumps 3I which deliver to a pipe `3,2 connected into the lower por-.said compartment 40.

4 tion of one end 23 of tank 20. An outlet pipe 33, fitted with acontrol valve 34, leads from the side of tank ZIJ near end wall 23 andconnects with inlet header I6.

A transverse vertical partition 35 is placed in tank 2o, so as to form acompartment 36 into which the pipe 32 discharges, and from which leadsthe pipe 33 that delivers the brine to the rink floor. Normally, brinedischarged into vthis compartment as indicated by access 38 and leavesvia pipe 33. 'I'he partition 35 is formed near or at the top with aliquid port 31 (Figs. 3 and 6).

However, unless the brine being circulated from compartment 36 requiresthat its temperature be further reduced, no substantial ow takes placethrough this port.

The space between partition 35 and tank end 24 is divided into a cooledliquid supply compartment 4i) and a cooling compartment 4I by alongitudinal vertical partition 42, and walls 43 and 44 joining oppositeends of the latter with the opposite side walls 22 of the tank, Withinthe cooling compartment 4I is placed any suitable refrigeration orcooling unit 45, only diagrammatically indicated, since it may be of anywell known or desired type. It should be capable of reducing thetemperature of the brine circulated around it to a temperaturesubstantially below that desired within the rink floor, e. g. to atemperature of from 5 to 15 F., depending upon circumstances such asweather, amount of use, relative volumes of brine in the circulatorysystem and in supply, etc. Continuous circulation is induced between thecompartments 40 and 4I by means of continuously motor driven impeller oragitators 4S and 41 mounted on walls 43 and 44, respectively, andarranged to cause liquid flow through the respective ports 43a and 44aformed in said walls. These agitators, which may be of a conventionaltype, will be understood to circulate brine in a closed ring circulationas indicated by the arrows 5D; that is, from one end of compartment 40through wall 43 to the corresponding end of compartment 4I, thencelongitudinally of cooling unit 45, through wall 44 into the other end ofcompartment 40, and thence longitudinally back to the rst mentioned endof This ring circulation takes place continuously, with the temperatureof the brine being continuously reduced by the cooling unit 45 and withno substantial outflow via port 31, until or unless a call is made uponthe system for an additional quantity low temperature brine, as willpresently be more fully described. The brine contained within andcirculating between the two compartments 40 and 4I thus constitutes asupply source of low temperature brine. The volume of this supply sourcemay be only a relatively small fraction of the total brine containedWithin the entire system.

When, however, it becomes necessary to reduce the temperature of thebrine circulated tothe rink floor, provisions are made for drawing theextreme low temperature brine from the compartment 40 into thecompartment 36 via the port 31, and to induce this ilow, means areprovided to establish a counterflow of relatively warmer brine into thecompartment 40. The present illustrative embodiment of the inventionprovides for accomplishing this result in either of two ways shown inoperation in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively.

In the arrangement of Fig. 3, brine discharged into compartment 36 frompipe 32 is caused to enter into the end of a conduit by an agitator orimpeller 56, driven yfor example through a shaft 57| .from `an electricmotor -58 (Figs. Brand 7). The inlet end of this conduit 55 is adjacentthe inlet 32a from pipe `312, so as tov take the return ing relativelywarm brine directly from said inlet. The conduit l5.5 extendshorizontally through the lower end portion .of partition 35, sofas todischarge in thelower regi-on of compartment 40. This discharge is shownas taking place upwardly via a port S0, which is normally .closed by aycheck valve 6l. `The latter is here shown as provided with a verticalextension rod 62, passing 'upwardly through -tank top 2l and furnishedat its upper extremity with a handle 63 by which the val-ve may bemanually unseated, if desired. 'I'he valve 6| is guided vertically bymeans of a bearing .6.4 slidably receiving the lower end portion oftherod 62, said :bearing being carried. by a spider 65, suitably mountedwithin port 60.

lf now the temperature of the brine being circulated to the rink floorshould rise, and there should therefore be a call for lower temperaturebrine yfrom supply [compartment 40, impeller drive motor 58, which maybe under manual control, or. under automatic thermostatic control fromthe rink, is set into operation. A fraction of the brine discharged intocompartment 36 from pipe 3-2, and which will be understood to be thehigh est temperature brine of the system, is then diverted by thepump-driven impeiier 55 into conduit 55, whence it vflows downwardly tothe bottom of the tank, across via conduit extension 53 into the lowerportion o f low temperature supply compartment 4B, and discharges fromthe latter past check valve 6|, all as indicated by the arrows 10 inFigs. 3, 6 and 7. This introduction of Warm brine into the bottom ofcompartment 4i) induces a like Vflow of the low Atemperature brine fromthe upper regions of rcompartment 4U through port 3l in the upperportion of parti tion 35 and into compartment 36 (as indicated by arrows'Il in Fig. 3) where it mixes with the relatively higher temperaturebrine being circulated to and from the rink door, and accordinglyreduces the temperature thereof.

Fig. 4 shows the alternative method of operation. In this instance, toreduce the temperature of the circulated brine, use is made of a by-passpipe 86 controlled by a manual valve 8| and leading from pipe 32 into yavertical conduit 82 in compartment 36. Conduit 8| does not communicatewith compartment 36, as may be seen in Fig. 5. Its lower end iscontinued by a horizontal extension 84 which passes through the lowerportion of partition 35 and discharges into the lower region ofcompartment 40.

When valve 8| is opened, relatively warm brine is diverted from pipe 32,and flows through pipe 80 and conduit 82 into compartment 40, asindicated by arrows 85 in Figs. 4 and 5. To'assure that flow will bediverted through the relatively small by-pass pipe 80, a gate valve 84is provided at pipe inlet 32d, and may be closed down as desired. Fig. 5shows further how the relatively warm brine discharged into the lowerregion of compartment 40 rises in the colder brine contained in thelatter to be drawn through wall 43 by the impeller 46 and so subjectedto cooling action within compartment 4 The advantage of the system isthat it is only necessary to cool a relatively small volume of brine toa relatively low temperature. It will be seen that two circulation ringsare maintained, one from compartment 36 to the floor and back again.:and the other between the supply comperature reduction at the rink floorat any time the ice should'give indication of deterioration.

As previously indicated, the Ibrine is lledinto tank 20 to a level suchthat the hollow floor |10 is completely lled with liquid, but notvsubstantially higher, so that with no circulation taking place, therewill be no substantial hydrostatic head on the floor. In other words,the pressure inside the oor will not exceed the pressure outside thefloor,` and there will be nobursting strains, i. e. no tendency Ito lift.the platform I4. Actually, a little liquid elevation in the tank abovethe floor level will do no harm in the way of lifting the platform byhydrostatic pressure, because .the platform will stay down of its ownweight, even though not spot welded to the spreaders, under a smallhead. The actual requirement therefore is that the liquid level in thetank is kept sufficiently low that .there is no .tendency for thehydrostatic head created -to elevate the platform. And this condition isgenerally de scribed herein by the statement that .the liquid level inthe tank is maintained not substantially higher than .the floor level.'Do permit the floor sections to initially fill with liquid, they maybeprovided with pet-cocks such as indicatedat in Fig. 9. When the floor isfull of brine, these are closed. No further brine is then introduced vtotank 20, and conditions are as indicated in Fig; 2.

When .the circulation pumps 3| are started, the frictionon flowresistance of the .pipe 33 and header I6 between tank 20and the oorcauses a loss of head, so that the pressure within the floor will beIreduced below the atmospheric pressure on the brine within the tank 20.The pumps 3| thus function as lsuction pumps, and create a subat-rmospheric pressure condition within the floor. This is an advantage ofthe utmost importance. First of all, any fracture in the floor, e. g.,failure of a spot weld, will not result in leakage of brine, ,andpossible spoilage of a substantial area of ice. At the worst, a littleair will leak into the circulation system, which will be carried away bythe flowing brine. Next, the entire floor structure is tied together byexternal pressure, eliminating the necessity fora great deal of internalbracing and spot welding heretofore believed essential. Since the brinelevel in the tank is maintained no substantially higher than the brinelevel in the floor, no internal ypressure is exerted on the floor eventhough the circulation pumps should accidentally stop, as by powerfailure.

Fig. 10 shows, in transverse section, a modied v hollow sheet floor Illain which the headers |6a and Ila are on the level of the iloor, so thatno diilicul-ty in initially filling the floor with brine is encountered.This view also shows the incorporation of an expansion joint at 95,consisting of a rubber band 96 tightly fitted over the floor sectionaround a break 'or interruption 91 in the latter. This same expedient,or any other found suitable, may of course be incorporated in the formof Figs. 1, 2, 8 and 9.

Fig. 1I shows, in transverse section, a modied 7 hollow oor structurewhich may be used and wherein base and headers |0| are constructed ofconcrete. A sheet metal platform |02 is used, together with spreaders|03, similar to the spreaders of the first-described embodiment.

Figs. 12 and 13 show a further modification, in which the base |05,headers |06 and platform |01 are all formed of concrete, spreaders |08being used as before.

I claim:

1. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink iloor, thecombination of: means for establishing a ring circulation of brine toand from said iloor, a brine cooling unit, means for establishing a ringcirculation of brine to and from said brine cooling unit, and means fordiverting brine from each of said ring circulations and introducing itto the other.

2. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink oor, thecombination of a brine-containing chamber, a brine supply line betweensaid chamber and said hollow floor, a brine return line between saidfloor and said chamber, a cir- .culation pump in one of said lines, astorage chamber for low temperature brine, a liquid connection betweensaid storage .chamber and said first-mentioned chamber, and means forintroducing brine returned from said floor via said return line to saidstorage chamber,

3. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink iloor, thecombination of a brine-containing chamber, a brine supply line betweensaid chamber and said hollow floor, a brine return line Ibetween saidoor and said chamber, a circulation pump in the last-mentioned of saidlines, a storage chamber for low temperature brine, a liquid connectionbetween said storage chamber and said first-mentioned chamber, and meansfor introducing brine returned from said floor via said return line Itosaid storage chamber.

4. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink oor, thecombination of: a brine supply line leading to said floor, a brinereturn line leading from said iloor, means associating the ingoing endof the rst-mentioned line and the discharge end of the second-mentionedline in a manner for liquid returned by the latter to be taken by theformer, `a circulation pump in one of said lines, a storage chamber forlow temperature brine, means for diver-ting brine returned by saidreturn line into said storage chamber, and means establishingcommunication between said storage chamber and said supply line.

5. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink iloor, thecombination of: a brine supply line leading to said oor, a brine returnline leading from said floor, means associating the ingoing end cf therst-mentioned line and the discharge end of the second-mentioned line ina manner for liquid return by the latter to be taken by the former, acirculation pump in said return line of said lines, a storage chamberfor low temperature brine, means for diverting brine returned by saidreturn line into said storage chamber, and means establishingcommunication between said storage chamber and said supply line.

6. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink floor, thecombination of: a brine supply line leading to said floor, a brinereturn line leadture brine, a brine cooling unit, means for circulatingbrine from said chamber through said cooling unit, means for divertingbrine returned by said return line into said storage chamber, and meansestablishing communication between said storage chamber and said supplyline.

'7. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink floor, thecombination of: a brine tank, a partition dividing said tank into amixing chamber and a cooled brine supply chamber, a port in the upperportion of said partition, a brine supply line leading from said mixingchamber to said floor, a brine return line leading from said iloor tosaid mixing chamber, a circulation pump in one of said lines, and meansfor diverting a portion of the brine returned by said return line andintroducing it to said supply chamber.

8. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink floor, thecombination of: a brine tank, a partition dividing said tank into amixing chamber and a cooled brine supply chamber, a port in the upperportion of said partition, a brine supply line leading from said mixingchamber to said floor, a brine return line leading from said floor tosaid mixing chamber, a circulation pump in one of said lines, and meansfor diverting a portion of the brine returned by said return line andintroducing it to a lower region of said supply chamber.

9. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink floor, thecombination of: a brine tank, wall means partitioning said tank into amixing chamber, a cooled liquid supply chamber adjacent to said mixingchamber, and a cooling chamber adjacent to said supply chamber, the wallmeans between the rst and second-mentioned of said chambers having aliquid port in its upper portion, and the wall means between the secondand third-mentioned of said chambers having two liquid circulationports, means for establishing a ring circulation of brine through saidports between said supply and cooling chambers, a brine supply lineleading from said mixing chamber to said floor, a brine return lineleading from said floor to said mixing chamber, a circulation pump inone of said lines, and means for diverting a portion of the brinereturned by said return line and introducing it to said supply chamber.

10. In a brine supply system for a hollow skating rink floor, thecombination of: a brine tank so located that its liquid level will be nohigher than the iloor level, a partition dividing said tank into amixing chamber and a cooled brine supply chamber, a port in the upperportion of said partition, a brine supply line leading from said mixingchamber to said floor, a brine return line leading from said floor tosaid mixing chamber, a circulation pump in said return line, and meansfor diverting a portion of the brine returned by said return line andintroducing it to said supply chamber.

11. In a skating ring, the combination of a rink floor, a brinereceiving container, a suction pump arranged to discharge into saidcontainer, a brine circuit including a supply line and a return line anda portion interposed between said lines, said portion having the topthereof arranged to form said rink floor, said supply line having aninlet end portion communicating with said container, said return linebeing connected to the intake of said suction pump, and means forlowering the temperature of the brine circulating through said circuit,the parts being so constructed and arranged that the pressure in theline in heat exchange relation with said oor is maintained atsub-atmospheric pressure.

12. In a skating rink, the combination of a rinkfloor, a tank havingareceiving compart.. ment containing brine to a level not substantiallyexceeding the level of the rink oorso that when the brine is notcirculating through the rink floor the pressure inside the oor will notexceed the pressure outside the floor, a suction pump arranged todischarge into said compartmenaa brine circuit including a Isupply lineand return line and a portion interposed between said lines, saidportion having the top Vthereof arranged to form said rink iioor, saidsupply line having an inlet end portion communicating with saidcompartment, said return line being connected to the intake of saidsuction pump, and means f or lowering the temperature of the brinecirculating through said circuit, the parts being so constructed andarranged that the pressure in the portion of the line in heat exchangerelation with said floor is maintained at sub-atmospheric pressure.

'the brine is not Ycirculating through the rink floor the pressureinside the floor will not exceed the pressure outside the floor, asuction pump arranged to discharge 'into said compartment,

' lines, said portion having the top thereof arranged to form said rinkoor, said supply line having an inlet end portion communicating withsaidY compartment, said return line being connected to the intake ofsaid suction pump, and

so constructed and rarranged that `the pressure .of the brinecirculating through the line in heat exchange relation with said oor ismaintained at sub-atmospheric pressure.

14. In a skating rink, the .combination of a rink oor, brine receivingmeans, asuction pump, a, brine circuit including a supply -line and areturn line and a portion interposed lbetween said lines, said supplyline having an inlet end portion communicating with said brine receivingmeans, said return line communicating withV the intake of said` suctionpump, means communieating said pump with said brine receiving means, andsaid brine receiving means communicating with the atmosphere andcontaining brine to a level not substantially exceeding the level of therink licor so that when the brine is not circulating through the rinkfloor, the pressure inside the iioor will not exceed the pressureoutside the floor.

FRANK J. ZAMBONI.

